Wednesday, 3.23
Thirteen UW chancellors ask state legislators not to separate the UW-Madison from the state university system, and instead give more autonomy to all UW campuses. The lone dissenter, UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin, sends a separate letter saying she is skeptical of the other chancellors.
Thursday, 3.24
Carlos Lam, an Indiana prosecutor who encouraged Gov. Scott Walker in an email to stage an attack on himself in order to discredit protesters, resigns after the email, obtained through open records litigation by Isthmus and the Associated Press, is made public. See report here.
The Fourth District Court of Appeals sends an appeal of the decision barring publication of Gov. Scott Walker's "budget repair bill" to the state Supreme Court, saying there are too many issues that need clarification. The Supreme Court has yet to decide whether it will take up the matter.
Friday, 3.25
The Legislative Reference Bureau, on advice from the state Attorney General's office, publishes a law to gut collective bargaining, despite a court order issued by a Dane County judge. Gov. Scott Walker and others say the law is in effect; the Legislative Reference Bureau and others disagree.
Monday, 3.28
The Associated Press reports that Walker's budget proposal would cripple the state's justice information system, which allows police and courts to share data electronically.
Tuesday, 3.29
Dane County Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi warns state officials that violating her order barring publication of Gov. Scott Walker's "budget repair bill" could lead to sanctions: "Those who act in open and willful defiance of the court order place not only themselves at peril of sanctions, they also jeopardize the financial and the governmental stability of the state of Wisconsin."
Months after rejecting $810 million from the federal government to build a high-speed rail line, Gov. Walker says he'll seek $150 million from the feds to buy more trains for the Milwaukee-to-Chicago line and build a maintenance facility in Milwaukee.
The state Department of Public Instruction releases test scores showing that students in the state's voucher program perform "similar or worse" than those in public schools. Democrats say the results show the program isn't working. But Republican Robin Vos (R-Rochester), who wants to expand the voucher program, looks on the bright side: "Children in the school choice program do the same as the children in public school but at half the cost."
Wednesday, 3.30
Google announces it has chosen Kansas City, Kan., for Google Fiber, its ultra-high-speed Internet pilot, passing over Madison and almost 1,100 other communities.
Blake Gober and Jeff Waksman of the Republican Party of Dane County issue a deranged press release attacking Judge Sumi as "a leftist" who "goes to cocktail parties held by leftists" and "shops at organic gourmet food shops run by leftists." It also says the left "feels righteous vandalizing our homes and keying our cars." Sumi was appointed to the bench by Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson.
Compiled (in part) from local media
